An Apple patent published by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office will allow the iPhone to essentially work as a television and smart home remote, allowing users to manage and recall entertainment ...

The patent was first filed five years ago, but was only granted Tuesday ...

This patent allows the iPhone to not only control a television, change a scene or play a game, but it can also be a home theater remote. In his biography, Steve Jobs told biographer Walter Isaacson that there should be no need for several remotes, that one could do the job.

A couple of thoughts for the Apple bulls who think this is no longer, should not be and will not remain Steve Jobs' company.

First, this comes as no surprise. I've discussed infinite possibilities for Apple's living room plans, most recently hitting on something that looks a lot like, if not exactly what the company intends to do:

For example, if you have an iPhone and love it, you might be more likely to stick with it -- even if it doesn't see revolutionary changes -- if that iPhone works in concert with some sort of living room technology, preferably a television set. Same goes for iPad. Historically, Apple has done a great job making it easy for you to own just one Apple product, but establishing the allure of owning more than one and getting them to easily and efficiently work together.

If all is right in Cupertino, Tim Cook is doing what's right ( What Steve Jobs would have done) and preparing to execute a living room strategy that has very little, if anything, to do with purchasing expensive programming rights.

Apple doesn't need content. Leave that to the desperate, cluttered and unfocused at Netflix and Google. Apple needs to keep it clean and maintain focus on the marriage between premium quality and beautifully designed hardware and the best user experience in the business.

*(As a not-so-aside, maybe all of these meetings Cook is having with big media companies deal, not in content, but in making an iPhone remote compatible across existing platforms from your cable box to your satellite receiver to your smart television set to your favorite TV show or live event).

If this patent approval and my line thinking syncs at the same time as Apple gets set to introduce a not-so-cheap iPhone, in the spirit of iPad mini, some of these rumors we're hearing are fantastic news for Apple .